Saving the Princess
by reneethehuman
Summary: Having been informed Hyrule Castle has been overrun by monsters, Link rushes to save the princess. He faces the challenges laid before him with courage and the wisdom of heroes before him.


I took in the scene before me. Standing in the middle of the large castle room, I was surrounded by hundreds of bloodthirsty bulbins, stalfos, lizalfos, and gods know what else, all of them in the mindset to kill. Each one held a weapon, some with maces, others with swords or axes or bows, all of them capable of delivering a deadly blow. One against hundreds. No problem. This would be a piece of cake. I widened my stance and brandished my sword from its home on my back, gripping my large metal shield in my other hand. I stared down the array of monsters circling around me, grinning at the challenge. The only thing that betrayed my confidence was the slight tremor in my hands.

 _A sword wields no strength unless the hand that holds it has courage. Remember those words._

I tightened my grip on the hilt of the Master Sword, its faint blue glow brightening as I rushed forward to meet my fate. I knew I wasn't invincible, but I had faith that the Goddesses would allow me to survive at least another day. Plus, I had this great tendency to be really lucky when it came to situations like these. No matter how many times I found myself backed into a corner, I always found a way out, whether it be from skill or sheer luck.

The familiar clang of metal echoed in my ears as my sword met with my first victim. I gritted my teeth as I pushed against the bulbin's sword, overpowering his strength with my own, and once he staggered back, I spun around and sliced my sword through his torso. I darted forward, my eyes locked on the massive staircase that led to the upper chambers of the palace, only to be stopped almost immediately. A stalfos came out of nowhere, jumping in the air with his sword pointed downwards at me. I held my shield above me and leaned backwards as I propelled myself forward. I slid right underneath him, feeling the breeze of his sword swinging against my cheek, and as I slid through his legs, I slashed at his ankles, causing the stalfos to fall forward. Using my momentum from the slide, I rolled up to my feet and spun around, thrusting my sword into the back of the skeletal being. With a small grunt I yanked my sword from its stunned body and turned my sights back to the staircase, propelling myself forward. Knocking people aside with my shield and hacking and slashing at others, I advanced towards my target with growing confidence. Maybe I was wrong when I worried if this would the day my recklessness finally caught up to me.

I spun around on my heels to face my enemies, a small smirk forming on my lips as my eyes ran along the trail of bodies I left behind me. "Man, I forgot how good that feels." I chuckled under my breath. As much as I was enjoying myself in this brief moment, I knew that I had to concentrate on the task at hand, considering this was a mission that I couldn't afford to screw up. I veered right down the hallway, having memorized the route from the many times I had trekked through these hallways. I knew this castle like the back of my hand. Nothing but smooth sailing from here on out.

I have to start remembering not to jinx myself.

Not long after, I skidded to a quick stop. Standing at the end of the hallway was a darknut. He stood at least twice my height and his sword three times the length and twice the width as mine. I had faced these knights before, but they were never any less intimidating, standing there in their massive black armor that seemed to cover every inch of their body. I only faltered for a moment, another message of advice running through my head; _Act quickly and never hesitate. The longer you take to act means the longer your opponent has to make their move against you._

I set my gaze on the colossal soldier and charged forward. A battle cry escaped my mouth as I raised my sword over my head and jumped into the air, bringing my sword down in a large arc. In my mind, I pictured my sword colliding with the armor of the giant, which caused him to stumble backwards. With the short opportunity, I would take the chance to strike at his sides, where there were thin thinks in his armor to allow him to move. He would swing his sword to swat me away like a bug, but I had taken note of how he held his sword and that it would be too heavy to maneuver quick enough to hit me. I would jump to the side, then duck and roll around him, as his sword arch continued until force behind the blow diminished. Now with his backside facing me, I had the advantage. I took another running start before launching myself at him, bringing my sword up to plunge it into the inch of bare skin on the back of his neck, delivering the deadly blow.

I snapped back to reality and my sword came swinging down, ready to act out the vision I had. I expected to feel the impact of my sword and his armor meeting, but instead my sword was stopped short in its movement. My eyes widened. He grabbed the tip of my sword. He had caught my sword straight out of the air. Sweet, merciful Din! I didn't even know that was possible. I tried to pry my sword from his grasp and it wouldn't budge. I growled under my breath, struggling for a moment before deciding I needed a new plan. And I needed to think fast, seeing out of the corner of my eye that he was raising his sword, preparing to strike.

 _When you find yourself stuck in a situation where you cannot use your strength to best your opponent, use their own strength against them._

My eyes hardened, remaining stationary as I watched the sword come at me. At the last second, I let go of my sword and jumped backwards and out of the darknut's range. Without me standing there to take the blow, there was nothing to stop the sword in it's path. As the sword swung at the ground, the combination of the darknut's strength and the weight of the sword caused its sharp edge to slice through the tile floor, lodging it into the ground. I dove for my weapon, landing on my stomach as I grabbed it. I flipped over onto my back and sliced his legs as he struggled to pry his sword from its temporary prison. As he began to fall to his knees, I rolled moved out of the way and back up to my feet. "Playtime is over." I muttered, raising my sword over my head to thrust it down into the soft spot in his neck between his helmet and breastplate.

I had to admit, that was much harder than I had anticipated. That was definitely not the average darknut. My chest was rising and falling as I leaned against the wall of the castle in an attempt to catch my breath. I stayed there only for a moment, my eyelids drooping shut with sweat trickling down the side of my face and the back of my neck. The muffled sound of footsteps was drawing near, no doubt from the mass of monsters I had first come across. It was about time they caught up. Break time was over.

Hefting my sword up over my shoulder, I started down the hallway again. I turned corner after corner until the familiar large, oak doors came into sight. Grabbing the handle, I wrenched the door open and slid between the crack, pushing it shut behind me.

I heard the crack before I felt it. Pain shot through the back of my head, my vision became a big, dark blur. I stumbled around to see you my assailant was, swinging my sword in front of me as I swayed back and forth "Sweet, merciful Din…" I murmured as I finally tipped too much to the side, collapsing on the ground.

"Link!"

I lifted my head as the familiar voice and I found a pair of azure eyes staring down at me. "Zelda?" I asked, pushing myself to my feet only to tip over again.

Zelda immediately dropped the broad book she was holding and knelt on the ground beside me, throwing her arms around my shoulders. "I knew you would come for me!" I could swear it sounded like she was on the brink of tears.

"By the goddesses, why did you hit me?" I groaned, taking in a deep breath. She smelled of flowers and parchment. Tension seeped from my shoulders as I breathed in the familiar scent, relieved that he had made it in time.

Zelda pulled back and frowned at me. "I thought you were a monster! Maybe you should knock next time." she argued, crossing her arms over her chest.

I rolled my eyes and readjusted my green cap, which had been knocked askew from Zelda's attack. "Fine. Next time I come to save your ass I'll make noise and draw attention to myself while I alert you that I'm coming. Or, better yet, why don't I just let them have you next time to save myself the trouble of coming to rescue you. It would save me a lot of time in the future as well. Do you know how much of my time I spend rescuing you?" I asking, wincing as she whacked me again.

"I didn't ask you to rescue me, you know." Zelda snapped, her eyes sharp as she glared at me. "I was doing just fine on my own without you. In fact, I've been able to survive for years without you, what makes you think I need your protection all of a sudden?"

I scowl at her, grabbing her waist and roughly pulling her into my lap. She gasped and pushed against my chest, but I ignored it. "Because I like protecting you." I growled before pressing my lips to hers feverishly. She sighed against my lips, her fingers tightening in the cloth of my green tunic. I was surprised when she didn't pull away immediately. Surprised, but grateful. I hadn't seen the princess in months. I had been basically been dreaming about this kiss since we had parted ways.

Zelda pushed me back after a moment, her eyes no longer holding their usual defiance. "Then don't make such a big fuss about it." she insisted, a small smile poking through her stony exterior.

I gave a small sigh, smirking back at her. "I'll do my best, but I can't make any promises. You know how I love to see you get all flustered. You're cheeks get all pink and warm. It's cute."

Zelda frowned, pulling herself to her feet. "You're a strange man, do you know that?" she asked, holding her hand out to help me to my feet. I accepted her offer, chuckling as I did so. "Now, if you enjoy protecting me so much, how about you get me out of here?"

"Your wish is my command, princess." I replied, giving her another quick kiss before leading her to the door.

The Princess gave me a small smirk. "You better not screw this up, Link." she warned, though she couldn't hide the relief in her voice.

"What? Me, screw up? Do you know who you're talking to?" I asked, laughing. "You know you're in the most capable hands in world. Now come on, before I change my mind." I teased and winked at her, opening up the wooden doors once again. A small squeaked escaped her mouth as I pulled her after me. The lighthearted atmosphere vanishing as we stepped outside the safe confines of her bedroom, coming face to face with the abundance of pissed off monsters.

A small squeak came from beside me and I squeezed Zelda's hand reassuringly, though I don't know if I was trying to reassure her or myself. "I've got this." I murmured. I drew my sword, gripping it in my left hand. I had to be strong for her, but if she looked close enough, she would see that my knuckles were white from how tight I was gripping the Master Sword. I might have been scared before, but now he had her life in his hands, literally. Despite the fear building up in my chest, I looked over my shoulder and shot her a cocky grin, which she just rolled her eyes at.

 _You're number one priority: keep the Princess safe. Be the hero and save the Princess._

I ran forward with my sword raised and my body in front of Zelda's. No one was going to touch her, not if I could help it.


End file.
